Unexpected Encounters
by katz-nipp
Summary: An unexpected encounter leads to dramatic changes in the lives of Hogwarts' students and staff. Voldemort's new plan to extend his life will crush the lives of those connected to him. [vampirism/slash]
1. Chapter One

Unexpected Encounters : Chapter One  
  
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.  
  
Author's Notes : should I put this at the beginning or the end? I'm new at this so please help me out. Any advice, comments or concerns that you have please do tell me. I am using this story as a learning experience. Any comments whether good or bad, would be greatly appreciated since I can use it to improve my writting. Severus and Harry are the main characters of this fic. Draco is a good boy. (hehe.. well maybe not. Need to see how the plot plays out.) I am still unsure of the pairings, since I haven't decided whether it will be slash or not. There probably will be. Cuz it doesnt bother me. Although if I get lots of ppl telling me that they dont want slash in the story I can easily change the plot since I'm have not giving any evidence as to real pairings yet in the first chapter. There are hints though just to leave it out in the open. Which pairings would you, as the readers, like : Harry/Severus, Draco/Severus, Draco/Harry, Draco/Blaise[guy or girl?], Draco/Ginny, Harry/Ginny, Sev/Remus, Sirius/Remus, or anything else you can come up with. Tell me what other pairings should be in the background also, like Seamus/Dean, Dean/Lavender, Seamus/Lavender, Parvati/Seamus, Neville/and maybe a Slytherin etc.. Ron will be with Hermione for sure though, since I think that they are perfect for each other, don't you? Eh.. and does anyone know what Professor Sprout's first name is. I've been looking everywhere. Ooh well, on with the story.  
  
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Headmaster Albus Dumbledore sat at the teacher's table in the Great Hall scooping up a glob of chocolate pudding. It was still summer and the school was very quiet. All the teachers had returned to Hogwarts to prepare for the beginning of school in two weeks, but most of the teacher's had finished their dinner already and were elsewhere.  
  
Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Head of the Gryffindor House and the transfiguration professor, sat next to Dumbledore checking over the syllabuses of the sixth years again. They were going to add in a new component this year. Basically it was to train and prepare for the on coming war with Voldemort. The teachers did not want the students to go to war, but this training would definitely help them if they were ever caught in an unexpected situation.  
  
The students were to choose two out of five courses; Animagus training, transfiguration healing methods used with healing herbs, charms used on plants and people to approach dangerous but useful plants, a potions component using the plants gathered from the last component and lastly a dueling component.  
  
This new component was more like an independent study that was supervised by two teachers since the courses were basically a combination of two major courses; Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology and Charms. The teachers involved where also the Heads of each House. One class would be held each week for instruction and for the students to report to the teachers on their work and ask questions. Most of the work would be done on the students' own time. Extra meetings after classes could be arranged with teachers if the student chose to do so.  
  
Animagus training would be the most painful. The ministry had only recently approved it to be added to the curriculum. But only after they had been given the assurance that all students would be interviewed and screened and that names and animal forms would be sent to the ministry within the first week of training. This course would be a combination of potions and transfiguration.  
  
The combination of tranfiguration and herbology would make up a healing course. Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the school's mediwitch or healer, would also be helping the students if they had any questions.  
  
The charms and herbology component would be about how to charm dangerous plants so that they needed parts can be safely collected. After the spells had been cast there should be no harm in getting close to the plants. Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff House and the herbology professor, felt that if the teachers and students were careful nothing would go wrong. The worst that could happen would be a fire or an explosion. They were wizards and witches, and such a thing could be handled easily.  
  
The potions and herbology class would be mainly student lead experimentations and Professor Snape was considering teaching some more potent poisons to the class if he deemed them capable enough. The plants used would be the more dangerous plants gathered from the herbology/charms component. Professor Severus Snape, the Head of the Slytherin House and the potions professor, had already been setting up an old room in the dungeons which would be used as a student laboratory. Professor Filius Flitwich, the Head of the Ravenclaw House and the charms professor, had gone down yesterday to put up charms around the room to ensure that any accidents would not harm the rest of the school, and immediately alert the headmaster and teachers. This class was to be mainly taught by Professor Snape. Professor Sprout was just going to give some lectures about the plants collected. Potions were Professor Snape's expertise and Sprout did not find the cold stone dungeons much to her liking anyway and was glad that Snape wanted to take up most of the teaching.  
  
The dueling component would be a new type of deuling, which combined tranfiguration and charms. It would teach the students to use anything and everything around them to their advantage. They would have to be quick on their feet and in their minds with the hands on experience at after class matches that would take place twice a week.  
  
There would not be a charms and potions component, since using wand magic on a potion directly while it was being brewed could cause unexpected results.  
  
Professor McGonagall looked up from her pile of parchments. She was quite pleased. The new components looked promising. As she rolled up the pieces of paper, she asked Professor Sprout on her right if she could pass her some of that chocolate pudding, with no sprinkles please.  
  
There was a loud bang from the entrance doors, and moments later Rubeus Hagrid, the current Care of Magical Creatures professor and the Hogwarts gameskeeper, lumbered through the doors to the Great Hall. He was trying to catch his breath, but managed to pant out "Severus hurt.. centaurs.. Forbidden Forest"  
  
Professor McGonagall was gave Hagrid a glass of pumpkin juice. He had finally caught his breath and said "Ronan is waitin' outside, 'e can lead you to Severus. 'e said somethin' about bitten, but there aint no full moon tonight and Severus is always careful. Don't know what it could be." Dumbledore called out to Professor Sprout "Go and alert Madam Pomfrey."  
  
Dumbledore's usually twinkly eyes looked worried "Minerva, Hagrid lets go to Ronan." The three rushed out. Firenez had joined Ronan near the edge of the Forbidden Forest and they were nervously pawing at the ground. They looked up as the three got closer. "This way, follow" called out Ronan.  
  
They did not get very far into the forest when they saw an uneven circle of centaurs. They were spread around Severus who was lying in the center, none of them getting too close. He lay there on the ground convulsing violently. Blood was flowing from a wound but there was so much blood that it was difficult to tell where it was flowing from and how much damage had been done.  
  
Minerva let out a small gasp and looked over to Dumbledore. Bane stepped to the side and Dumbledore passed through the circle of centarus and approached Severus. "Severus?" The could not get close enough with him trashing like that. He pointed his wand and said "Petrificus Totalus" Severus' body seized up, straight as a board. "Severus, Severus can you hear me?" Severus' eyes looked up in an unseeing gaze past Dumbledore.  
  
Dumbledore sighed "Mobilicorpus" Severus' body was pulled upward as though it was attached to tiny invisible strings coming out from the tip of Dumbledore's wand. The group of centaurs had left. Only Firenez remained. He looked up at the stars then to Dumbledore "His light will die but he will live." and turned and galloped off into the dark. Dumbledore looked slightly more hopeful and they quickly started back to the hospital wing.  
  
Dumbledore looked over Severus. He brushed back the blood clotted hair. The blood from the bite mark on his neck was not flowing out as quickly as before and they could see the two puncture marks. Minerva questioned "Vampire? What would a vampire be doing at Hogwarts. They prefer the high- class Muggle cities."  
  
For centuries now vampires have been using their mind powers to rise up in society in the Muggle world, posing as people of stature and wealth. They did not enter the wizarding world as often since there was a greater chance of being recognized if they were not careful.  
  
Dumbledore "I do not think that it is just a coincidence that there just so happened to be a vampire in the Forbidden Forest. Now the thing is who was it and how did they know that Severus would be out here tonight? I'm sure we will be able to find out soon enough. Let's see how we can help Severus."  
  
By then they had reached the hospital wing. Hagrid had already gone ahead to tell Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout about the situation so that they could get out the herbs and potions needed.  
  
Severus was lifted by invisible strings on to a bed. With a flick of his wand Dumbledore switched Severus' bloody clothes for dark blue nightclothes. "We better strap him down. Minerva seal up the windows we don't know how long he will be here and I don't want any sunlight getting in." Dumbledore pointed his wand at the bed. Four straps wrapped around Severus' body and were fastened on the side. The stones of the walls grew wider and joined in to fill the spaces over the glass so that not a crack was left.  
  
Poppy cleaned and healed the wounds on his neck. She looked into Severus eyes, they were still staring out fixed on something beyond his vision. She shivered. His usual piercing gaze was now so empty. She rested her hand on his forehead and drew back. He felt like ice. When Poppy was done inspecting Severus she nodded at Dumbledore. "Finite Incantum" with the body bind off Severus' body began its erratic trashing again.  
  
"Does anyone know where Remus is?" Professor Remus Lupin, the Defense Against Dark Arts professor, would know the most about Severus' condition. He is a werewolf, and had been banned from teaching at Hogwarts two years ago. Albus Dumbledore managed to convince the Ministry of Magic that it was safe for him to teach if he took the Wolfbane potion each full moon. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, still did not agree with Dumbledore, but the rest of the Ministry did and Fudge was over ruled.  
  
"Hagrid and Professor Sprout have gone off to look for him." replied Minerva. "Should I go tell the rest of the teachers?" "No, there is no need to yet. I'm going back out to the forest to ask the centaurs if they saw anything. Stay here with Severus. Tell me when they have found Remus."  
  
Dumbledore left and headed back out towards the Forbidden Forest. Poppy and Minerva remained sitting next to Severus' bed. There really was not anything they could do but flip through a stack of books they had summoned up from the Hogwarts' library, which contained more myth than actual knowledge on how to treat a newly turned vampire. This had not happened at Hogwarts for well over a century. Poppy did not dare give him a calming potion for she did not know how he would react to it, now that he had vampire blood in his veins.  
  
Hagrid, Professor Sprout and Remus ran into the ward. Remus looked over at Severus. How long has he been here. "Nearing fifteen minutes." said Minerva. "Where is Albus?" asked Remus. "He is in the forest talking to the centaurs." replied Minerva. "I'll get 'im." said Hagrid.  
  
"Was he already like this when you found him?" asked Remus. "Yes, what is happening to him? Why is he trashing so much?" asked Minerva.  
  
"The vampire blood is fighting to over power his human blood."  
  
"Headmaster Dumbledore, sir, Professor Snape is in danger." "Draco!?" said Professor Dumbledore upon re-entering the hospital wing. The teachers turned. In the hallway stood a very thin, disheveled Draco Malfloy. He turned and looked towards the hospital wing. Severus was not in his line of vision, but he could see the teachers. He sighed "I'm too late again am I." he stated it more than questioned. "Tell us what you know Draco. Professor Snape should be all right. The centaurs were willing to tell me that much." said Dumbledore in a calm voice. Perhaps they could finally piece together what had happened. The centaurs would not tell him anymore since they had felt that by telling him that Severus would live that they had already said too much.  
  
Draco slumped down on the floor outside the hospital wing and recounted what he knew "He Who Must Not Be Named still has not managed to gain immortality, so he has decided to become a vampire instead. Of course before doing so he wanted to test his idea. The one chosen was my father. My mother disappeared shortly after that. I'm hoping that she is still alive but I doubt that is possible. Last year I had been given an invisibility cloak. I was to gather information for the Dark Lord. One night I over heard a conversation between Professors Snape and Lupin and found out that Professor Snape was a spy. I kept this to myself, but over the summer my father made me drink Veritaserum. They found out that Snape was working for the Light Side. My father was sent here to kill Professor Snape. He made me owl a note to Professor Snape asking for help to lure him out to the forest. After he left I threatened the house elves for some floo powder. I got to the Three Broomsticks and flew by broomstick the rest of the way. That is what I know happened."  
  
"He stopped moving." called out Madam Pomfrey. "Remus, what does that mean?" asked Minerva. "One side of the blood has won. If it is his human side then he'll die within a week. From the looks of it though it appears the vampire blood has won. He was so pale before though I can't really tell."  
  
"I know 'e'll stay alive, them centaurs don't lie." responded Hagrid. "He still has a pulse, and he is not as cold as he was before. Mind you he's still freezing though. I can't even tell if that is a good sign or not." said Madam Pomfrey "Remus is there anything that we can do for him now?" Poppy asked she let go of Severus' wrist "Nothing much we can do. We just wait for him to wake up. If the vampire blood won then we will see signs by tomorrow night."  
  
"Lets move him down to his chambers. He is not trashing anymore. He will be more comfortable there. Plus its a smaller area and we can put up charms." suggested Dumbledore. "All right" said Remus "and since his rooms are all in the dungeons we don't need to worry about sunlight."  
  
Remus and Dumbledore, followed by Draco, took Severus down to his rooms. There was nothing flashy in the room. The floors and furniture were made of wood, giving it quite a warm and homey touch. The wooden antique chairs and tables were polished and well-kept . Full bloomed roses entwined with veins and thorns were carved into the mantle piece.  
  
Remus lit the fireplace and placed Severus on the bed. He reached out and brushed aside the long black hair. Severus' eyes were now closed and he seemed to be sleeping. Tucking him in, Remus then turned to Albus. "Should we stay with him until he wakes up?" he asked "Yes, I'll just put up some charms first around his bed so that he can't get up without us knowing, and also some to keep him in this room. Now hold still I am going to put a spell on you so that if he hurts you he will get shocked. He won't get shocked though as long as he does not cause any pain. We can't take the risk of him biting someone."  
  
After the spells were cast Remus said "I'll watch him, you two should get some sleep." "All right, after Draco and I figure out what to do with the remainder of his summer." replied Dumbledore. "Since your mother is missing and I would thing that we both agree that it would not be wise for you to return to Malfoy Manor we will need to find somewhere for you to stay. Normally if a student was staying over during the summer, I would suggest that they live in their dorm, but after what as happened between you and your father I think that you should move to a room of your own. So that you can get used to living there before the rest of the school returns."  
  
Draco looked up from Severus to Dumbledore "I understand. I probably would not last too long in the Slytherin dorms with everyone hoping to use me to get into the Dark Lord's favor." "Yes, how about we put you next to Severus's room for tonight though and next morning we can find something more suitable." said Dumbledore  
  
Draco walked over to Severus's bedside. He reached out and stroked Severus' cheek "Good night, Uncle Severus. I'm so sorry I could not get here sooner. Please wake up soon." turning to Remus "Good night, Professor Lupin. Make sure he will be okay." and added in a quiet voice "he's all I really have left now."  
  
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well, how was it? was it boring? should I keep going?  
  
katz_nipp  
  
written : August 14, 2002 edited : January 11, 2004 - omg! im so lazy and not write =.= bad bad me 


	2. Chapter Two

Unexpected Encounters : Chapter Two  
  
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.  
  
Author's Notes : I've decided to put an A.N. at the beginning and at the end. I always have more to add on. I want to make sure that the story is clear, but without giving away any of the plot. short lines across dividing text mean a scene change or a skip forward in time. longer lines are just beginning/end dividers.  
  
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Now this had to be an unusual sight to see on any morning. Professor Minerva McGonagall racing down the Hogwarts' hallway from the library, one arm holding on to a large book the other grasping her robes so she did not trip. "Where's is Remus?" she asked Dumbledore, who was just coming out from the teacher's lounge. "He's with Severus, down in the dungeons. The charm I put on Severus told me he woke up about half an hour ago."  
  
"Oh my. Perhaps you should read this." she said thrusting a leather bound book at him. "I need to warn Severus. Remi!" and she ran off. "Hmm. Vampires vs. Werewolves : Fangs bite Fur by Quentin Trimble. Trimble eh. sounds interesting." said Dumbledore flipping the book open while taking a bit of a danish that was floating around his head.  
  
Although his rooms were at the far end of the dungeons, without even stepping three steps down the dungeon stairs you would have been able to hear the voice of a certain angry Potions Master. "Lupin, let me out immediately!" screamed Severus from inside his room.  
  
"No Severus your not coming out until you calm down!" yelled back Remus.  
  
"I told you I am calm. What's going on? Take down this barrier and open that damn door now. And give me back my wand. Where is my wand? Lupin!"  
  
Letting out a huge sigh Remus stood outside Severus' bedroom door with his back leaning against the door-frame. He wondered if being turned had caused this sudden change in temperament of the usually calm Potions Master. Even though Severus was known to have a temper, he preferred cold silence combined with a death glare, to yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs as he was doing now.  
  
Remus turned at the sound of footsteps further down the hallway. He blinked. Was that what he thought he was seeing, Professor McGonagall running down a hallway. That was not something he though he would ever see. But with the events of the last few years he supposed he shouldn't be surprised at seeing anything anymore.  
  
Before he knew it, Minerva had reached him, and she was glaring at him  
  
"What?" he said  
  
"Remus, what are you doing? Trying to kill Severus. You need to stay away from him until he has gained control."  
  
"Me. Kill him? I think he would have killed me if it had not been for that barrier Albus put around his bed last night. That was the only thing that kept him in. Too bad everything else could pass through. He threw everything he could reach at me. Why do you think I am standing out here? and what control are you talking about?"  
  
"You are a werewolf he is a vampire. You have strong blood. Severus is a newly made vampire he does not have control over his bloodlust yet. Your presence is driving him into an attack mode. That's why he has gotten violent. Your the Defense Against Dark Arts professor, shouldn't you know your subject."  
  
"I thought it was a myth." Remus managed to say. "But wait, I still don't see how Severus would get hurt. Wouldn't I be the one in danger?"  
  
Minerva lead Remus away from the dungeons. "Albus has the book I was reading. It's written by Quentin Trimble, the author of The Dark Forces : A Guide to Self-Protection. It turns out that his brother, Victor Trimble, was a werewolf, so it's quite a reliable source. It explains better than I can, but the main idea is that if he manages to bite you, your own wolf instincts will come into play and you will in turn attack him. Then it all depends on who is stronger."  
  
"How long do you think it will take for him to be able to control this? There's only two weeks until the students return." asked Remus.  
  
"I'm not sure, I'll have to do more research. Perhaps there is something in one of your books. I suspect that Albus will be on his way down here now. So we will probably meet him part way. I don't think that it would be a good idea for him to see Severus yet either though. He's one of the most powerful wizards of our time, there's more than enough magic in his blood to set off Severus' vampiric instincts. He can let you take a look at the book I was talking about earlier."  
  
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They had met up with Dumbledore and were in the Great Hall to discuss the situation. "What should we do? How can we help him if we can not even be in the same room as him?" asked Remus  
  
"I'm not sure yet." answered Dumbledore  
  
"The strangest thing is that he didn't seem to realize his condition when he woke up. Perhaps it was because I was in the room though." added Remus  
  
"Will he be able to teach again?"  
  
"I hope so but we can't risk him attacking any of the students." added Minerva.  
  
"Then there's the problem about blood. We can't possible let him .. hunt." said Minerva.  
  
"Well I do know that it can be ordered in Knockturn Alley" suggested Lupin  
  
"I have something we could use as a temporary substitute." piped up Professor Sprout. "Severus and I discovered it while we were in the forest cataloging unknown plants. We called it blood moss, because when it is ground up the liquid can be used in place of real blood. I have some growing in the greenhouse. I'll go prepare it."  
  
Dumbledore nodded as he picked up a scone "That should work for awhile and we can owl-order the blood. On to the next dilemma. We need a potions teacher to fill in for Severus until he feels ready to teach again."  
  
"Remi, do you think that Sirius could?" suggested Minerva when Remus leapt up from his seat.  
  
"oh my. Draco! He's in the room next to Severus, what if.." He headed towards the doors to the Great Hall. "Wait, didn't you been listening to what I told you? You can't go down there. I'll go get Draco." called out Minerva from behind him. "In the mean time, since you are the DADA professor, why don't you find all the information you can get on vampires and sort out the true facts from all the myths and folklore. Most of what I have read so far seem preposterously romanticised."  
  
Minerva started down the stone steps towards the dungeons. "I will check Draco's rooms first. Perhaps he hasn't even woken up yet and there is nothing to be worried about" she told herself. Never the less her steps speed up as she entered the cold corridors.  
  
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Severus Snape sat down on a mound of tangled silk sheets at the end of his four poster bed. He looked down at his hands. His normally dry, callused hands from all that potions work were white and smooth. The nails were longer and shaped in delicate manicured curves. On closer inspection they seemed to grow even longer and sharper as he concentrated on them. They looked almost claw-like now. Running his left index finger along the back of his right hand he watched in fascination as the skin split open. Red drops flowed down his towards his thumb. Tilting his head, he ran his tongue along his hand. The blood tasted tangy in his mouth. An image flashed into his mind. Lucius.  
  
Now what had been Lucius' plan. Why was he still alive, although he was not technically alive anymore. Why hadn't Lucius killed him? The only reason that there had been an attack on his life must have meant that Voldemort had found out about his allegiance to Dumbledore. Those that betrayed Voldemort had always been tortured to death. Yet here he was, dead in a way, but not in pain at the moment. He felt, to say plainly, great, perhpas even better than he usually did and he was at Hogwarts. Shouldn't he be writhing in a pool of his own blood and vomit before Voldemort's feet. He had seen it happen many times before, and for even lesser offenses.  
  
Hearing a noise Severus looked up. It was still far away, but it was getting closer. There were also another set of footsteps coming towards him "Draco!" ah Minerva and Draco, better stand up. Can't let Minerva see me like this sitting on a pile of crumpled up sheets.  
  
He ran his hand through his hair. He had let it grow out since last year so that he could tie it back while doing potions work. It felt different. It was no longer greasy, but like silk. Being a vampire did have its good points. "The vampire blood must have caused all the poisons to be burned out of my system." he thought. Over the years Severus had been poisoned many times by his fellow Death Eaters and by Voldemort himself. That's why he always carried antidotes with him to meetings. Most Death Eaters have a strange sense of humor.  
  
Looking over at the mirror on the back of his door he saw that his skin was a deathly pale white. His skin wouldn't be a pale when he had something to drink. His teeth were still slightly crooked but were as white as his skin. He ran his tongue along his teeth. The seemed normal enough. He remembered Lucius and how his fangs grew longer when he had wanted to .. use them.  
  
"Severus Snape a vampire. Well most the students already thought I was." he said to himself. "I wonder what they will think of me now. As if their terrifying potions professor being a spy wasn't hard enough to believe."  
  
Minerva opened the door slowly. She was surprised to see Severus standing next to his bed. The sheets were folded and the floor around him was neat and tidy. She could tell where the barrier ended though. About three feet around the bed, the rest of the room was a mess. Pillows and blankets had been tossed across the room. Parchments and a few quills were on the floor. An overturned bottle of ink was seeping into to the wooden floor. To finish off the scene a slipper was hanging from a candelabra above.  
  
"Uncle Severus, your awake. I'm so sorry I couldn't make it here in time to warn you." said Draco as he finally managed to push past Professor McGonagall to stumble into the room, landing halfway onto a pillow.  
  
"Draco, it is alright, but how did you get here?" after Draco retold what had happened again, Severus turned to Minerva.  
  
"I have seen a turning take place before so I have an understanding of what has happened. Voldemort has three vampires that I know of working for him. Four now if we count Lucius. Voldemort must have ordered him to do this. But I can't figure out why. Lucius could have easily killed me that night. I was stunned before I even reached the Lake."  
  
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Thinking back to last night, he remembered getting Draco's owl. He had been in the new potions lab moving the tables and caldrons into place. He could almost hear Flitwick voice in his mind saying "Swish and Flick." An eagle owl swooped in through a door and dropped a note into a nearby caldron and flew off again. It was a quickly written note. Some of the letters were smudged, but he could still make out Draco's curvy script.  
  
-Uncle Severus, Something has happened at the Manor. It's not safe for me to stay here any longer. You have to help me. By this time I should be at Hogwarts in a few minutes. Please meet my by the Lake. Draco-  
  
Against his better judgment Severus went out to the Lake without telling anyone. Clutching his wand tightly, he was still a Slytherin after all and he would be ready for anything. Or so he thought. He looked over to the Lake. There was no one there. An uneasy feeling grew and as he was turning around back towards the school a beam of energy shot towards him from the sky above him. He didn't even get to see who, or actually, what stunned him before he fell face forward to the ground.  
  
The next thing he knew he was in the Forbidden Forest. His hands were tied behind him, around the trunk of a tree. He looked down. His legs were covered with cuts, and numerous bruises were starting to form. Thorns and veins clung to the edges of his ripped robes. He moved his legs a bit to shake off the clumps of dirt. It appeared that he had been dragged through the underbush of the forest to a small clearing of some sort. He looked back up again and was surprised to see Lucius Malfloy was standing in front of him. Not that he didn't expect to see Lucius, because of the note from Draco. It's just that he looked different. He was paler, and his platinum hair wasn't gelled into place. Silky stands neatly framed his pointed face. But it was the fangs that were growing longer as Lucius grinned down at him that were worrying him the most.  
  
Severus had know about Voldemort's interest in vampires for a while. It had always been his backup plan. Seems like the Dark Lord had changed tactics and was already experimenting. As he sat leaning against the tree waiting to die he looked up at Lucius. Voldemort must have found out. Severus looked around him almost expecting to see the Dark Lord apparate into the forest. But no one was there except for the two of them.  
  
He had thought that his betrayal would have at least allowed him the great honor of being killed by Voldemort himself. Oh well. Lucius had only been second to Wormtail, and since Wormtail had been captured, Lucius was the next best thing. Severus smirked at his own dry humor. He was going to die soon, might as well joke about it.  
  
Lucius grabbed him around the waist and started to pull him up. The tree bark scraped at his arms. Pain shot up his arms and he could feel the blood dripping off his fingers. When he was standing unsteadily Lucius curled his fingers around Severus' chin and lifted his head up to look so that they were now at eye level. Normally Severus was a good head taller than Lucius, but then again normally Lucius wasn't floating off the ground.  
  
Severus knew that he must not make eye contact. He turned his head, fighting to look away. Lucius tightened his grip and Severus let out a strangled gasp. It felt like the muscles of his face were being pushed into his jaw bone. As their eyes locked, Severus felt his mind go light. Lucius relaxed his grip. Severus slumped back against the tree. His eyes blank. He felt warm.  
  
Then Lucius began tearing and clawing at his arms, legs and chest. Strips of flesh were ripped off. Sometime during all this he had been untied. He was now floating limply in the air about three or four feet off the ground. There was so much blood gushing out of all the lacerations, but hardly any of it reached the dirt below.  
  
Lucius had climbed up on top of his floating body, smiling at him with his lips red, dripping with blood. Licking at the blood that was escaping from the corner of his mouth, then plunging back to his feast. Everything was drowning in that hazy warmness. Severus thought it to be strange how there wasn't any pain to go along with it all. He had always imagine his death would be slow and painful.  
  
When the warmth started to fade, he knew that that would be the end. He had done what he could during his life to help Dumbledore. When he had even helped Black by luring Wormtail into a trap, so that Black's name could be cleared. He hoped that someone capable would fill his position, and not some dunderhead like Gilderoy Lockhart. He'd come back as a ghost before he lets someone like that teach potions.  
  
Lucius moved father up farther up his body. He rested his elbows against Severus' collarbone, his chin propped up on his clasped hands. In one swift motion they were upright, but still float above the ground. Tilting his head to the side, Lucius sank hit fangs into Severus' neck. He didn't think it was even possible that he had any blood left, but yet Lucius was still drinking. Severus began to feel cold, so cold. It felt as though his body heat was being sucked out along with his blood. It was as if a wave of ice was moving up his limbs.  
  
Lucius backed away slightly. His hands were gripping Severus shoulders. He let go of his left hand and brought it to his mouth. Biting down blood came pouring rapidly out of the wound since he had feed so much. Flying behind him Lucius tilted Severus' head back and poured the blood into his mouth.  
  
It burned down his throat and through his veins. It was worst than Crucio. It felt as though his blood was boiling and his body was on fire. He wanted to rip out his blood vessels but he couldn't move. He felt so powerless. Then his body began to jerk. Lucius stepped back and left him there in the darkness. Severus dropped to the floor. As he lay there convulsing, his wounds opened up again. Blood mixed with the soil below. He heard hooves pacing nearby and then he knew no more.  
  
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Severus didn't tell them the details of his encounter with Lucius. They had seen his body last night and from what Draco had told them, they could put together the basic facts themselves. "I think I need to talk to the Headmaster. Minerva, could you light the fire? Remus took my wand." said Severus. "Oh of course." she said "Incendio" she took a pouch from her robe and then threw some powder into the flames. "Albus Dumbledore" she said. The flames flicked and Albus' head was smiling up at them.  
  
"Severus, how do you feel?"  
  
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Author's Notes : Thank you to the reviewers. I blushed while reading them. gawd so happy. They really encouraged me to keep on going. And plot ideas have been popping into my head since then. yeah! So with so many ideas in my head I got Chapter two up much faster than I thought I would. I wasn't planning on putting up another chapter til this weekend. Oie. The vote so far is even. err.. so its harry/sev or sev/remi . Ahh. don't know which to use. they both are great and would work fine with the plot in my head. sigh. guess I'll just have to leave it up in the air for a while longer. aie. which is it gonna be?  
  
Eh what did you think of Chapter Two? It really wasn't what I had expected. I love parts of it, but then there are parts that I am not really satisfied with. If you can't already tell I have a huge thing for bloodlust. That's why I just had to write a vampire story. And who better to play the part then Sevi! hehe. o.O make me think of Sevi-sama from Angel Sanctuary. go anime!! I'll probably re-write, re-edit and re-post this chapter later on. But I posted it so you can read it now. I might even just leave it that way. I do like it or else I wouldn't have posted it. oh well. I repost everything. Usually they are just minor changes though. Nothing that will mess with the plot.  
  
check out my website if your into anime/manga/fanfiction/scanlations/harry potter ..err well you probably are a harry potter fan, or why else would you be reading this rite. hehe.. - es. . haven't watched that since after she died and was brought back to life. Neways, since you didn't leave a signed review I don't know how to reach you. But if it has something to do with Sev making another vampire then I'll really have to say I don't know. The plot keeps on changing from day to day in my mind. Can't answer your other question without giving it away, but you'll probably figure it all out soon from the next few chapters.  
  
Elven child : ooh another vote for sev/remi .. its tied. why??. hehe well either pairing I'll have fun writting it.  
  
katz_nipp written : August 16, 2002 editied : January 11, 2004 


	3. Chapter Three

Unexpected Encounters : Chapter Three  
  
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.  
  
Author's Notes : the vote still stands at a tie. . If it's still tied I'm going to just pick whether it will be Sev/Harry or Sev/Remus. You will know the main pairing by the time I have Chapter Four ready for posting. You can check my profile information for updates on where I'm at in the writing process of the story. I'll be changing the rating to R next chapter, because now that I think about it Chapter Two really shouldn't be rated PG- 13 since no 13 year old should even be thinking about that much blood.  
  
Ooh. and you know how FF.net says that there may be down time for the site soon. I'll still update my website then so new chapters can be found there.  
  
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Severus looked at the image of Albus' bobbing head that had popped up in fire. He looked quite strange since the image couldn't fit his long hair and beard too. It seemed as though he had been hit with a severing charm. "Severus, how do you feel?" he repeated slower as Severus shook away the image of little red bows tied in as well.  
  
"Oh, I feel quite well actually, considering I died last night. I do think that I am getting hungry though, since Draco is starting to look rather.." "Oh!" interrupted Professor Sprout as her head pushed its way into the fire alongside the Headmasters'. "Severus, do you remember the blood moss. We figured we could use that as a temporary supplement." "Yes, yes. We sent an owl order away for blood in Knockturn Alley though so you will not be drinking moss for too long." added Albus.  
  
"I'll send up Sunny, now with your meal. Sunny is the house elf that I've asked to specifically help you around the castle." Severus smiled slightly. Leave it to Dumbledore to pick the house-elf with the most ironic name to tend to a vampire.  
  
He turned to the sound of a pop on his right. There standing next to his bed, was Sunny. He looked just like all the other house-elves with the big floppy ears and large eyes. Sunny was wearing a light blue pillow case with a tea-cozy apron tied around his middle. He was in the process of righting a small overturned table, while delicately balancing a silver tray. On the tray sat a tall spouted champagne glass and what looked like a wine bottle. Placing the tray down he poured a glass and offered it to Severus, bowing down to the floor until his long nose touched the wood.  
  
"Professor Snape. Sunny, sir, at your service, sir." 'Ah, how nice, a house- elf that can speak proper English and pronounce my name right. He still has that problem with adding in too many sir's though. Oh well, least he didn't call me Professor Snap like half the blubbering elves working in this school.'  
  
Holding up the glass, he took a sip at the dark red liquid. It tasted like blood. A bit on the salty side, but he fangs had grown out in reaction to it. "I suppose it will do, for now. Smells like grass though." he said to his onlookers. Professor Sprout looked a bit shaken at the sight of his fangs. Severus smiled and ran his tongue around one of his fangs before taking another sip.  
  
"Good. After you have finished I'll talk to you about some of these books we found. Most interesting, although we're still not quite sure what is true and what isn't." said Remus, who had squished his head into the fire too. Thankfully Severus had a large fire place. It could get quite cold down in the dungeons. "They all say that you should not be as dangerous, after you are full."  
  
"Fine then, since I will no longer be dangerous, as you say, I would like my wand back."  
  
"Erm, well you see Severus we think that it would be best if you wait awhile after your transformation to use magic." said Remus.  
  
"What, but how am I going to be able to do .. stuff." exclaimed Severus  
  
"Well that's why you have Sunny. Brighten up Severus, it will only be for awhile until your magic has stabilized with your new body." supplied Dumbledore.  
  
"Severus, it's all right. Its only for about a month." said Minerva trying to calm him down. 'They really shouldn't tell him things like this while he's drinking. Those fangs are definitely something that will take a lot of time for me to get used to.'  
  
"All right, but we need to discuss a more important issue. The students come back in a little less than two weeks. How do we break it to the poor students that their dear Potions Professor is a vampire?" said Severus 'Perhaps we could tell them I am dead first and then I can drink anyone that dares to rejoice over my passing.' he thought 'Plus I would be helping to rid the world of a few future death eaters.'  
  
Minerva spoke, shaking Severus away from his thoughts "Well we must tell them as soon as possible. Perhaps we should owl the parents before the students return." "Wouldn't that cause an uproar? and Fudge will make a big deal about this, and the Daily Prophet will have it all over the front page." put in Remus. "It will cause an even greater commotion, if we inform the parents after their children are at Hogwarts." she countered  
  
Dumbledore looked over at Severus while Minerva and Remus argued. He was lazily sitting on his newly made bed. Green satin sheets had been placed under his silk bedspread. He was propped up using some extra pillows that Sunny had brought him. Severus wasn't paying much attention anymore to the 'important issue' of the students. He had a slight smile on his face and his eyes looked slightly glazed over. They snapped back into focus whenever he wanted Sunny to pour him another glass. 'If I didn't know that was blood I would have thought he was drunk' thought Albus.  
  
Severus had found it slightly amusing that Minerva and Remus were still arguing over such a simple issue, but as fun as it was listen to, he had already worked it out in his head and he was getting bored. "Why don't you just let Albus talk to the Daily Prophet and owl the parents. If Albus thinks it is safe for me to be here, then the parents will think so too. Why else do you think that they are letting Lupin teach here. Albus has more control over the wizarding world than Fudge ever will. Don't worry so much." put in Severus, breaking Minerva and Remus' debate.  
  
Dumbledore smiled "All right since we have that all worked out. Lets figure out what do to do about your classes, Severus. We can't really have you teaching just yet. The books we have been looking at all tell of a magical change. The transformation that had taken place is only physical. Over the next few weeks your new powers will begin to show."  
  
Severus looked up skeptically "So who exactly is going to be teaching my classes?" he already knew who they were thinking of, since they didn't have enough time to go through interviews and such to find someone that would only be teaching for a few weeks, but might as well provide them with the response they expected. If he did not they would probably being to think that there was something seriously wrong with him. "Well, we were thinking of asking Sirius if he could come in for a few weeks." continued Dumbledore.  
  
Everyone held their breath waiting for the reaction that they knew would follow. They weren't disappointed. Severus stood up and nearly dropped his glass, spilling its contents all over his clean satin sheets. Sunny magically cleaned up the spilt liquid. "What, Black teaching potions? Do you want to blow up half the school. He'd probably teach the students proposterous potions that have no practical use. You'll have students running around using potions for pranks all day long."  
  
Dumbledore had been expecting this rant and already had a plan of his own, he just hoped that the rest of the teachers wouldn't protest. "Fine Severus, Black won't teach your potions class and you can on one condition." "What condition would that be Albus." said Severus cautiously. "Well since we can't leave you alone with the students yet for obvious reasons, you must let Sirius stay with you to make sure nothing happens. Which would you prefer Severus?"  
  
Severus sat back down thinking through his options. 'Albus is always doing this to me. The choices he gives me always work out best for him.' "Fine, I'll teach and Black can 'guard' the students." Dumbledore smiled. "Its settled then. I better be off to the Daily Prophet. It will probably be better if I am there while they are writing it so that nothing gets exaggerated. I'll talk to you tonight Severus." With that his head disappeared from the fire.  
  
He noticed now that Professor Sprout had gone off also mumbling something about needing more moss. He looked over at the bottle and saw that it was almost gone. 'For stuff that smelling like grass, it doesn't taste too bad. I'll have to thank her later for remembering it. Although I do wonder what they would have given me if she hadn't. Probably a rare steak.' he thought.  
  
Severus looked down at his clothes. A number of blood stains from his injuries last night had left the cloth with rusty blotches. He wanted to change out of them, but his closet was outside the shield. "Minerva. about this shield." "Do you feel better now that you have finished your meal?"  
  
"I feel much better now that I have something inside me. Also I'd like to change out of this. It appears that I have been wearing them since last night." Minerva looked at him once over. "Of course" she said, fumbling for her wand. Severus quirked an eyebrow. 'She is blushing' he thought. 'Better not think about it.'  
  
After the shield was let down she and Draco left the room. "Lupin what are you still doing here. Get out of my fire. If you want a show go ask Black. I'm sure he love to, free of charge and all." "I just wanted to leave you with some books." In a childish huff, Remus threw the vampire books he was going to give Severus through the fire and ducked out of the fire before Severus could see the heated blush spreading across his face.  
  
Severus looked over at the mirror again. 'I look good in navy blue. Should have known Albus would have know what colors suit people. He seems to have personally worn all the colors of the rainbow in countless shades already.' he thought, taking out a dark blue robe instead of his usual black. 'No need to dress like a Death Eater anymore. hmm. I wonder how the students will react to me now that I don't need to pretend to be a good little Death Eater. To think that I would have to be dead for a chance at being more humane."  
  
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izean - its so nice to know your keeping up with the story, and I'll try to update soon, but I have to read this book before school starts and write an essay.  
  
kaga - no need too many words, since all I need to say is "OOH" , and I don't know if it will come up in the story, but definitely not between Sev and Lucius.  
  
madbyrd - err. I don't know about ur plot bunny. haha.. you can picture it all you want in ur mind, but I don't see it fitting in. and Sev's not a monster. He just wants to drink people's blood.  
  
A.N. : With this story I have already changed some of the so called 'classical' vampiric traits, like the reflection in the mirror thing, yes he has a reflection. And he doesn't need to sleep in the morning and is only awake at night. And no coffin. He has a large four-poster bed, covered in silk and satin. I like his bed too much to put him in a wooden box. not enough space in a box for a lot of movement anyway ~wink  
  
While I was doing research, yes I do do research for this fic, I did find out that centaurs are against vampires. So that whole scene in the Forbidden Forest does work out, but they went to Dumbledore first since Snape is a teacher if not he'd probably be dead, erm deader. hehe. I did find out that Professor Quirrell had come across vampires in Black Forest, but that doesn't exactly say they are living there. So on a stretch, the plot doesn't have any holes in it, since I had that bit about the vampires in muggle cities and all. *though if you find anything that seems off in the plot pls tell me immediately or if you some vampiric traits that I haven't mentioned do tell*  
  
tina - thank you for the review, you didn't cast a vote though. You could have broken the tie!  
  
darkartist13 - ha. talent erm. nah. not me. but thanks anyway. it's more like I'm trying to write it so that you readers can picture the story the way I see it. I'm just worried that if I don't ppl might get confused. My greatest fear right now is that the characters are well, out of character, especially Minerva. ack she's turning out like Hermione. I always thought them to be alike so I'm trying so hard to keep their personalities from meshing. Even though Hermione hasn't made an appearance yet. She will soon though, along with Harry, the Weasleys and a few others we haven't seen yet. I do believe they will play a part in the next chapter actually.  
  
katz_nipp written : August 19, 2002 edited : January 11, 2004 


	4. Chapter Four

Unexpected Encounter : Chapter Four  
  
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.  
  
Author's notes : This is really out to the readers, in response to their reviews. Read it and it shall answer the problems that have plagued your minds.  
  
but first I have to ask this : DOES SEVI HAVE TO BE A MONSTER? haven't you people watched 'interview with the vampire'. Great movie, if you haven't seem it, go watch it. The vampires there weren't monsters though. They lived in town, walked around Paris and lived in huge mansions. The people that lived around them thought that they were human. They threw high-class parties and ate a few of their guests afterwards. Does that make them monsters? Vampires are after all part human.  
  
Also, only crazy vampires go around attacking everyone. right? do I need to do more research? From what I thought, vampires could learn to control their bloodlust, which would be the only thing that makes them monsters in the first place. If they were really monsters, why in the world would Honeydukes Sweetshop be selling blood-flavored lollipops. People don't make candy for monsters. Plus I did put in a point about Sev being relatively safe after feeding.  
  
to Jaws - haha. the long fingernail thing. Vamps have claws. Go watch a good vampire movie. If they have done it down to the details, their vamps will have very nice long fingernails. (which are usually all white, it's scary. I didn't even put that detail in.) So if Sevi is a vampire he's got to look the part rite?  
  
Ooh and the blood moss. It's just to sustain him for awhile. I put that in because I couldn't imagine all the professors donating blood for a few days. I didn't write too much about the moss, since well, it's not that important. Dumbledore has owl-ordered for blood already anyway, so the moss will be gone soon.  
  
Aie. and although I really like vampire stories, I don't watch Buffy anymore. Haven't watched it in years, so it probably won't influence my writing too much. Can't remember that much from it anyway, but after mentioning interview with the vampire, that probably will have a slight impact since I'm going to dig it out and watch it again.  
  
And if the reflection thing is bugging you that much tell me about it, and I'll do something about it in Chapter Five or Six. If ANYTHING is pissing you off TELL ME about it okay? But as pre- warned, some of the vampire traits are going to just fly out the window on a broomstick.  
  
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Sirius had been cleared of all his charges a few months before summer started. He had demanded that his family estate be returned to him. Black Castle had been seized by the ministry after his trial. The castle had been put on sale, but had never been sold. No one wanted to buy a place that belonged to a missing Azkaban escapee.  
  
The castle needed to be cleaned and refurnished, so Sirius and Harry and not moved in yet. Sirius had been living with Remus. Harry had joined them for the summer. The Dursleys were more than happy to be finally rid of Harry and all his magical nonsense.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been shocked to find out that Sirius Black was innocent, and were slightly cautious around him at first. They soon warmed up to him though, and even offered to let him stay at the Burrow during Harry's two week visit a month before the end of the summer. Sirius couldn't stay though, because he had been called away by the ministry to go on a mission. Harry didn't know much about the mission, only that they were searching for a missing ministry personnel who had disappeared along with his whole family. Voldemort was suspected, but the ministry wasn't letting any information out to the public.  
  
Sirius had been offered the ministry job by the minister after his innocence was proven. Fudge felt that it would show the public that he wanted to help right the wrong. Sirius wasn't going to accept the job at first, since he didn't need the money and had wanted to spend more time with Harry, but Dumbledore had convinced him to accept the position. The Headmaster had wanted more people keeping an eye on the ongoings inside the ministry.  
  
The ministry had begun falling apart since the events of Harry's fourth year. Fudge could no longer ignore the fact that Voldemort was still alive and was gaining power and recruits. Harry now understood why Fudge had been reluctant to admit to the wizarding world of Voldemort's second rising. There had been widespread panic immediately after the ministry's official announcement. Even though most of the wizarding world knew that there were still Death Eaters, they had not wanted to believe that Voldemort was still alive. They had been happy living their lives believing that the worst had already past and would not return. It had been much easier for people to believe what they had wanted to believe before someone actually said that Voldemort was back.  
  
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Harry had had a dream of Voldemort a few days before the ministry had started the search for the missing man. He had not been able to see or remember much from the dream. He knew he had been in a stone room that resembled a cellar or a basement. A drop of blood had fallen from above him and he had looked up. He had then felt like he was floating. It was so warm and comforting, but then the warmth felt like it was being sucked out of him. It was so cold now. Then Harry felt something different. Usually during one of his dreams the presence of Voldemort was so strong that it seemed to over power everything else. He could feel someone else now too. Who was it though and why could he feel them through his link to Voldemort? He knew what he saw when he looked up was important but when he woke up he could remember what he had seen.  
  
Regardless of the dream though, the man and his family had been missing for two weeks now and there was little doubt in Harry's mind that they were already dead. Nothing in the dream though seemed connected with the missing family though. He wasn't even sure if it was a vision due to his magic link with Voldemort or if it was just a nightmare caused by eating one to many Peppermint Toads before bed. Who wouldn't have bad dreams with those things hopping around in their stomach. Although during his dream his scar had burned when he looked up. He had thought that is was strange since people claim that one does not feel pain while dreaming. When he woke up his forehead didn't hurt at all, and the remnants of the dream were already fading.  
  
Ever since the Triwizard Tournament Harry had been writing down his dreams in a journal that Dumbledore had given to him. They had come to use Harry's dreams as a window into Voldemort's plots. Many Death Eater's had been caught, although most were only low ranked trainees. As Harry had gotten older his dreams had become clearer. Harry's most vivid visions were those during which Voldemort was using magic. Before he could only see what was going on, and then he could also hear everything, but now it felt as though he was actually there. This wasn't only the burning sensation that felt though his scar in all his visions though. If he was seeing a cold dark room, he would actually feel the cold creep through his clothes.  
  
Harry became increasingly worried that Voldemort would sense his presence during these dreams. The link between them was getting so strong now. Hermione had said that it may have something to do with the blood Voldemort had used to recreate his new body, but the connection still seemed to remain one-way.  
  
Harry didn't even know how to classify what he saw. They clearly weren't normal dreams, since they could come to him while he was still awake, causing him to faint or sometimes to have a small seizure before slipping into unconsciousness. Harry had no warning as to when these visions would come. In a way he was glad that Voldemort seemed to be most active at night. That way he didn't collapse often during one of his classes or in the Great Hall.  
  
From what he had leaned in Divination, they were not visions either. Visions are of the future, but what Harry saw was always of the present. Also his sight was always centered around Voldemort. Harry referred to them as dreams though, since it sometimes allowed him to have the illusion that what he saw was not real. The thought that maybe the bodies with their backs arched up in an arc, twisting under the pain for the Cruciatus Curse, or the flashes of bright green light could just be a nightmare.  
  
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The minister was at a complete loss over what to do. For one of his trusted advisers to disappear at a time like this had left Fudge desperate. Lucius Malfoy had disappeared two weeks ago along with his wife and their son Draco. The ministry was in shambles. There were quiet murmurs circulating that the department heads were going to call for the election of a new minister to replace him, since Fudge was not capable of finding a missing ministry personnel and his family. Therefore he definitely couldn't handle the second rising of the Dark Lord.  
  
To think that a Death Eater would be the one holding the ministry together. Perhaps this had been Voldemort's plan all along. With Lucius on the inside, Voldemort could also observe and indirectly influence the ministry's decisions. So not only did Voldemort have a mole inside the ministry, but also the means to weaken the ministry by making the minister dependent on the advice of Mr. Malfoy, and then take it away when his council was most needed.  
  
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Harry's mind was not on ministry business at all this summer. Harry and Sirius had been staying at Remus' cottage out in the country. It was not a very large house, but still quite a sizable place to be called a cottage. Like most wizarding houses it was much larger from the inside than it seemed to a passing muggle. The cottage currently had four bed rooms, one for Remus, Sirius and Harry with and an extra if they happened to have a guest. If needed though, more rooms could always be added magically. Remus wanted to keep his house small though, since he didn't have a house elf. House cleaning, even with the help of magic, did take some time.  
  
The cottage itself, was quaint and had a touch of home in it that made one feel as though they had lived there for many years. In truth, the cottage had only been bought by Remus last year when Dumbledore had invited him back to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and he only lived there during the holidays. A family of muggles had been own it before, using the cottage only once a year as a summer home. It wasn't this feeling of home that Harry had liked most about Remus' home though, it was the pictures. Remus had photographs of practically everyone he knew.  
  
They were plastered on all the walls of his sitting room. Numerous pictures of Harry's parents, a younger Sirius and Remus were spread out along the walls. The pictures were mostly wizard pictures, but a few weren't moving. When Harry had ask about them, he had been delighted to learn that they had been taken from Lily's camera. Those pictures had been taken at the end of their seventh year. Harry had been surprised to see a group picture of James, Lily, Remus, Peter and Professor Snape.  
  
When Sirius saw the picture he said that there were still a few things that need had not unpacked and hastily left the room. Harry found out from Remus that James and Remus had befriended Severus after what had happened with Sirius. They had a tentative friendship that had lasted up until Lily and James' death, but Remus wouldn't tell him anymore on the subject.  
  
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In Harry's latest dream he hadn't even seen anything very significant. He made a note of what he could remember in his book, but not being able to remember any details he didn't think it was necessary to tell Sirius or Dumbledore about it. After a few days he forgot all about the dream since he was looking forward to two carefree weeks with the Weasleys.  
  
Harry used the floo network to floo from Remus' cottage to the Burrow. He tumbled out of the Weasley's fireplace and was immediately pulled up by Ron who was waiting on the other side. Mrs. Weasley was bustling around in the kitchen at the time, making cookies. Harry was soon scooped up in a big welcome hug. When he was released, Mrs. Weasley magically sent up his belongings to Ron's room.  
  
The next few days were filled with good jokes, warm smiles, hearty food and lots of laughs. Hermione even managed to convince her parents to let her come stay a week after Harry got to the Burrow too.  
  
The trio was together. At first glance nothing showed that during the school year these three students had been spending a few hours each night in the restricted section of the library researching for anything that would give the light side an advantage during the war.  
  
Dumbledore had decided to give Harry access to the library a few months into their fifth year. They all knew that Harry was one of Voldemort's main targets. As Dumbledore had been the one to defeat Grindlewald in 1945, Harry was destined to go against Voldemort. Dumbledore thought that it would be best if Harry were prepared for this inevitable encounter. Some of the teacher's had been against the idea at first. Letting students have free access to all the books in the library included all the dark arts books as well.  
  
Dumbledore had made up his mind though, and even had the support of Professor Lupin, Professor Snape and surprisingly Professor Trelawney, who had said that she had seen this was to happen in her tea that morning. They all felt that it was about time that Harry be able to learn how to protect himself. Ron and Hermione had later convinced Dumbledore to let them help Harry with his research. Harry had already been sneaking them into the library with him using his invisibility cloak though so it really didn't matter. He suspected that Dumbledore already knew about that.  
  
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Each night after dinner Hermione dragged Harry and Ron up to the room that she was staying in. At the foot of her bed lay her open trunk. Half the trunk was filled with books. She had been researching Harry's magical link to Voldemort. She had been rather alarmed when Harry told her that the link had gotten a great deal stronger after Voldemort regained a physical form. Hermione had a few theories as to why, as did Harry. One idea was that Voldemort was now magically stronger. Their second theory was that Harry's blood used in the potion strengthened the link between them like a blood bond. The third theory, was now that Voldemort had a physical body, it allowed his magic to be more focused.  
  
They had no real way of finding out if their theories where valid. There had never been a case where two wizards were linked through a botched killing curse. However there was a resemblance in Harry's link with Voldemort and magical links associated with blood bonds. The main difference was that in Harry's case it only seemed to work one way. So far in their research they hadn't found much but they had definitely learned some old but useful curses that most people had already forgotten about.  
  
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During the war, the line between light and dark had started to fade. The Death Eaters knew no mercy. The ministry had not allowed their Aurors to use the Unforgivables yet, but some Aurors had already started using them. The ministry didn't do anything against their actions though since they needed the Aurors, who were diminishing in numbers as the number of Death Eaters grew. Hermione had been outraged at the ministry's lack of control, but she soon saw that by limiting their magic and their morals to what was honorable, they would lose more than just the war.  
  
Hermione had thought it would be wrong to use dark curses against Voldemort and his forces. She felt that if they did, then they would be no better that Voldemort himself. Hermione changed her mind though when Dumbledore suggested to her parents to relocate to a magically protected house after Professor Snape reported back that Voldemort planned to attack the Grangers to get to Harry. When faced with the brutality of war, she understood that it wasn't the time for campaigns and protests against the cruelty of certain dark curses. Lives were at stake. Honor and ethics could wait.  
  
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It was the last night of Harry and Hermione's visit. Hermione was seated on top of her bed with a pile of books. Harry and Ron were sitting on the floor each with a book in front of them. A game of wizards chess lay forgotten next to them.  
  
Ron started to fall asleep, when Harry poked him in the side. "Ouch. Harry what was that for?" "You were falling asleep. We won't have this much time to research when we get back to Hogwarts." answered Harry "If you had told me a few years ago that this would be how we were to spend our summer I wouldn't have believed you for all the gold in Gringott's." said Ron  
  
The trio shared a smile. "The strangest thing is that we have to hide that fact that we are reading. Why if Mum knew that I've been reading half the summer, she'd faint." said Ron. "Yes, but then she would probably faint again after she found out what we were reading." added Hermione. The three of them had agreed that it would be best if Mrs. Weasley didn't know about all the dark arts books that Harry and Hermione had stuffed in their trunks. Harry had put up an spell to alert them if anyone was about to come in, then the boys would toss their books onto Hermione's bed and pretend to play chess. Hermione reading a book wasn't anything out of the ordinary so she didn't need to scramble each time someone entered the room. In case someone happened to ask what she was reading though, she had charmed the outside of the cover to look like an Arithmancy textbook.  
  
They had quite a large selection of books now. Hermione kept most of them which were transfigured into famous muggle books. The books they were reading now, were ones that weren't found in the Hogwarts' library. Professor Snape had been helping them owl order them from Knockturn Alley  
  
The three turned to the sound of a small beep. Books and a few scrolls went flying in the direction of the bed. By the time Ginny popped her head around the door, she saw Hermione studying on her bed and Harry and Ron lying on their stomachs facing each other in a game of chess. 'Those two are always playing wizard chess these days.' thought Ginny "Dad's just come home and Mum says dinner is going to be ready in a few minutes, so come down."  
  
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Bill and Charlie were away working in other countries. Mr. Weasley looked rather tired. Percy apperated into the room. He had been doing quite well in the ministry, and usually spent most his time there. Harry was glad that he made it back in time for his last night there. Sirius was coming in the morning to take him to Black Castle.  
  
They ate dinner inside in the dining room. The table was piled high with dishes and a cauldron of stew was steaming Ron's mother had made one hell of a farewell feast, but it was dessert that Harry was looking forward to. Mrs. Weasley had made a huge chocolate sponge cake, covered in icing. It was exactly like the one she had made for his birthday half a month ago. Harry loved chocolate. He felt it was probably due to the fact that he never got to eat any during his childhood.  
  
After dinner everyone was so full they felt that they couldn't move even if Voldemort himself marched into the Burrow. Mr. Weasley suggested that they all go outside and sit in the yard and watch the twins newest creation. They were soundless fireworks. They went up into the sky and burst in to all sorts of colors. This was the newest addition to the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes inventory. The twins hadn't even thought of a name yet. Mrs. Weasley hadn't taken them away since they seemed harmless and didn't cause any loud explosions, plus the flashes of bright light seemed to scare away the gnomes. Harry and Ron knew that small, silent fireworks would be anything but harmless when they got back to Hogwarts.  
  
Everyone settled out in the backyard, either in lawn-chairs or on the grass. Harry was lying down in one of the chairs, on his back, looking up at the light show. He turned his head to the right. Ron and Hermione were sitting on the grass, holding hands. Hermione's head was resting against Ron's shoulder.  
  
Ron and Hermione had realized how deep their feelings for each other were. What everyone had found amusing though was that they had both come to the decision of telling each other at the same time. It was in their fifth year, at the Christmas ball. The ball was held before the students went home for the holiday. Dumbledore wanted to start a new tradition and also lighten up the mood. With the war going on there had been an increasing number of students that couldn't go home that year.  
  
Ron and Hermione had certainly created a cheerful atmosphere that night. They had both felt that the perfect time to tell each other was at the end of the last dance. They ended up telling each other at the same time, and missed what the other said since they were so nervous.  
  
Harry smiled in the direction of his two best friends. They had stuck by him through everything. He had once wondered if such a friendship was possible. Why were they friends with him? He had even asked himself once if they were only friends with him since he was the famous Boy Who Lived. Harry didn't try to think about that possibility anymore. A friend can be defined as a person that you trust and that appreciates you for the person that you are. That's exactly what his two best friends were. There had been a few rough spots, but the three of them had always pulled through. Harry worried that Voldemort would try and hurt the people he cared about to get to him. Of course Ron and Hermione were too caught up in it all now though, so there was little point in wasting effort in worrying about such things. His time would be best spent on making sure that he and his friends would be ready if anything were to happen. Voldemort would do anything he could to hurt Harry.  
  
Having everyone close to you targeted by Voldemort was also hard on Harry's love-life. He never stayed with one person too long because he was always worried about the consequences. There was never the problem of finding someone though. He was after all the Boy Who Lived and he had come out last year that he was bisexual. Harry had been a bit worried that people's opinion of him would drastically change due to that fact. He had after all grew up in an environment where anything out of the ordinary was deeply frowned upon. The wizarding world was much more accepting of such things and the press certainly had a great time updating the world with the latest news on the Boy Who Lived. Harry was still a bit worried at first. Nothing much had changed at Hogwarts except that now there were also a few guys trying to catch his eye wherever he went.  
  
Harry felt a stab of jealousy somewhere in his heart. He wanted a relationship like the one Ron and Hermione shared, something that would last. He felt he had come close last year, but it didn't work out in the end because they realized they were in love with other people. They had ended up just being friends, but Harry really didn't want to think about that right now. It wasn't doing anything but feeding his jealousy.  
  
Harry then felt another stab, but this one was much more painful and it was coming from his scar. 'Not again, I haven't had a dream for weeks.' He clasped one hand over his forehead and rolled on to his side and thus off the lawn-chair. Ron leapt over to Harry's side, pulling Hermione along with him. "Oh my, Harry dear, are you alright? Ron what happened?" asked an anxious Mrs. Weasley from somewhere behind them. It was still quite dark and the only light was from the diminishing sparks in the sky.  
  
"Lumos" said Hermione holding out her wand. The rest of the Weasleys were soon at Harry's side. Hermione was sweeping the light over Harry's body to check if he had hurt himself while falling off the chair. She couldn't really tell though since Harry and curled himself into a tight shivering ball. He had been moving from side to side at first, but now Ron was holding down his shoulders. They had gone through this before at school. Dumbledore had told them what they should do if Harry lapsed into one of his visions at school, since they were usually with him. Most of his visions weren't that bad though. They were quite short and were accompanied by the pain of his scar, but he had gotten used to this because of the frequent tingling sensation he had been feeling all year. This vision was different though. This one was much stronger than anything he had ever felt before.  
  
Harry let out a piercing scream. He flung his arms and legs out, knocking Ron off. "Should we tell Sirius or Dumbledore?" asked Mr. Weasley. Hermione nodded. The twins took off to tell Sirius while Mr. Weasley headed to another fireplace to alert the headmaster.  
  
Harry was now hissing in pain between his quick intakes of air. Different feelings flooded his mind. Hate. Lust. Power. Need. Rage. Fear. Then he felt as though his blood was on fire and lashes of pain seared across his body. Ron tried to grab ahold of Harry's arms because he had started scratching at his arms. His nails didn't go penetrate very deeply, but it was certainly deep enough to draw blood. Ron finally had both his arms pinned down, but then Harry made a strange noise and Ron jumped back and let go again. He began to make a gurgling choking noise. Both his hands went up to his throat. Then his body began to jerk. His back arched up and then slammed back down.  
  
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley and Ginny turned towards the voice and saw Sirius and the twins were running towards them. Ron was still trying to get Harry to calm down. He gave up and took his wand out of his pocket "Petrificus Totalus." Ron looked down at Harry. "Sorry mate, but I couldn't think of any other way to stop you." He lifted up one of Harry's eyelids. His eyes were rolled back but he could still see a rim of green at the top.  
  
"Should we try to move him back into the house?" asked Mrs. Weasley taking out her wand now as well. "No need Molly. I've got him" answered Sirius lifting up Harry's board-like body. Mr. Weasley jogged up to the group. "I couldn't reach Dumbledore. I did get ahold of Professor Vector though. Apparently something has happened at Hogwarts. They'll send word after they know what is going on." Hermione and Ron shared a worried glance, then she stood up. "Alright lets all go inside."  
  
Sirius put Harry's rigid body on a sofa in the Weasley's living room. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny went into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for everyone. They waited around near the fireplace. Ron walked back over to Harry and lifted up his eyelid again. Harry's eyes had rolled back and he was staring back up at him. "Hey you guys I think he's okay now. I'm going to take the spell off. Finite Incantatum."  
  
Harry sucked in a deep breath and his arm reached out for support as he tried to sit up. Sirius helped him up and Harry sat back leaning slightly into him. He had always been a bit tired after a strong vision, and this one was the strongest yet. Hermione passed him a bar of chocolate. Harry smiled a thank you towards her.  
  
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There was a flicker of light from the fireplace. "Hello everyone." "Professor Dumbledore! Is everything alright? What happened at the school?" asked Hermione. "Yeah, is everyone alright?" added Ron. "Everything seems to have calmed down a fair amount over here. Now I've heard that there was quite a commotion over at the Burrow." replied the Headmaster. "Who was it I saw in my vision then, Professor? Are they alright? They were in a lot of pain. This vision was different from any of the other one's I've had so far. I could feel all these conflicting emotions. It had something to do with what happened at Hogwarts, right?"  
  
Dumbledore looked rather tired as he was pondering over how to answer Harry's questions. "I'm really not the one that can best explain what occurred. It would be best if you came to Hogwarts a few weeks earlier this year." Harry nodded Ron looked over at Hermione. "We're coming too, Professor."  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Of course Mr. Weasley, Miss. Granger, but I must also insist that Professor Black accompany you as well. There is something that I need to discuss with him as well."  
  
Sirius looked up from his seat next to Harry. "Professor Black!?"  
  
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current vote at Sev/Harry - 6 ~ Sev/Remus - 6  
  
~shock, its tied again!! pout. still could be either one, so I'll pick the pairing based on the reviews for Chapter Five. I've already been stalling for four chapters now, suppose its high time to pick one.  
  
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thanks you to the reviewers of Chapter Three  
  
charzy - aww. you didn't vote, breakthetie!!breakthetie  
  
Liz - yesyes, the many twists that I could look into. not to worrie, this story is far from finished. hey the second main character only just made an appearance. hehe. and for the spelling, thanks for noticing. The first time I posted Chapter One there were so many spelling and grammar mistakes. ~hides head in shame. I know how much nicer it is to read something without all the typos so alert me if you see something wrong  
  
izean - Sorry this chapter took so long. I just couldn't get it flowing right, actually I still think parts of it sound funny. Hope you didn't get used to the speed that the first three chapters came out at. Summer's almost over for me and the chapters are already coming out slower.  
  
Tereth Dragonstar - hehe. I thought it was a nice way to end that chapter too.  
  
Jaws - thanks for the review, gave me a lot to think about. you didn't vote though  
  
MysteryMeat - glad you liked it!  
  
kitty - thx for voting  
  
vamp chick - hehe. about the mirror thing, someone didn't read my author's notes at the bottom of my last chapter, but thanks for telling me because now I know that your bothered by it.  
  
katz_nipp written : September 7, 2002 edited : January 11, 2004 


	5. Chapter Five

Unexpected Encounter : Chapter Five  
  
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.  
  
Author's notes : Aah. finally a nice clear win for Harry/Sev. thank you to all the voters. hehe.. if you want to know what I would have had planned for the story if it had ended differently don't hesitate to e-mail me. I was a bit surprised to get a few votes for Sev/Sirius, to be honest I never even considered that. I'm glad that the pairing for this fic is now certain. I suspect that you as the readers are too, since I've left that part of the fic hanging for four chapters already. I do hope you will still read it even if the pairing is not to your liking, but I can't stop you at all. What I can do though is recommend you go look at my favorite stories list. I finally got around to doing that. I think there are about fifteen fics of different ships there that I absolutely loved reading, so if you don't like mine I can always redirect you to something that suits you more. Now? oh yes. on to the story.  
  
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Dumbledore felt that it would be best if they waited until morning to sort everything out. It was quite late and they were all starting to feel the need for sleep. After a round of goodnights Dumbledore's head disappeared from the Weasley's fire place and everyone shuffled up the stairs to bed.  
  
The Headmaster chuckled to himself as he walked back towards Severus' rooms. He had said goodnight to everyone before Sirius had time to question him further. Dumbledore felt that Sirius was definitely capable of teaching Severus' classes if need be, but he dearly hoped that they would have their potions master up and teaching again at the beginning of this year.  
  
Dumbledore took out his wand as he neared Severus' chambers. He was going to set up a barrier around his bed. They had no idea how Severus would react and he really did think a rampaging vampire in the school would pose to be a problem. That reminded him he would need to have a staff meeting to make sure everyone knew about Severus' condition.  
  
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The next morning Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius got ready to go to leave the Burrow. Before going to Hogwarts, they were going to floo into Diagon Alley and buy their school supplies for the upcoming year. From there they would floo over to Hogsmeade where a Hogwarts' carriage would take them up to the school at a quarter to noon.  
  
Later that day, the four of them sat around a table at The Three Broomsticks drinking butterbeers. Sirius had shrunk their trunks which were lined up next to one another atop of a pile of napkins. Madame Rosmerta came up to their table to inform them when the Hogwarts' carriage had arrived.  
  
The ride to Hogwarts was short and uneventful. Hermione and Harry had found the black carriage to be quite interesting though since the elegant black carriage had no coachman nor any horses.  
  
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Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were awaiting their arrival. Harry smiled up at the stone castle. He loved the feeling that he got each year he returned to Hogwarts. This is what it feels like to come home.  
  
"Welcome back to Hogwarts." said Dumbledore as he directed them all into the school. "We can send some of the house-elves to take your belongings down to your rooms." Sirius took the four minuscule trunks from his pocket and enlarging them to their normal size. A few house-elves popped next to the trunks and disappeared with them.  
  
"Siri!" called Remus as the came up the dungeon steps giving everyone a hug. "Remus, have you eaten lunch?" asked McGonagall. "I believe that's where we are all headed for right now. Are the rest of you hungry?" she asked turning to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Sirius who was just released from another hug. "I'm definitely ready for lunch." spoke up Sirius. "Me too." added Ron. Hermione smiled slightly. 'Wonder what is more important to him; me or his stomach.' she thought before Ron grabbed her hand and dragged her into the Great Hall.  
  
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The Great Hall doors swung open as they approached. They usually stayed open during the school year since there were always students streaming in and out. The four were surprised to see Draco sitting at the head table eating next to Professor Vector.  
  
Siruis openly gapped. "Malfoy? Haven't you been missing for the last few weeks. How long have you been here? I've been looking for you for weeks and you're sitting here at Hogwarts eating lunch?" During Sirius' rambling the trio had made it over to the head table. Harry plopped himself down next to Draco. Currently Hermione and Ron were farther down the table talking to Hagrid.  
  
"So you were the son of the missing ministry personnel. Sirius is pissed since he got stuck in a quicksand pit somewhere on your Manor. So have you been caught up in all of this?" Draco smiled back slightly "Yeah I do seem to be caught up in all this as you put it. I'd ask you the same thing, but of course you're the great Harry Potter and everything of importance in the wizarding world must be linked to you."  
  
"Now Mr. Malfoy, I know that you two can be on friendlier terms than that. Let's keep to lighter topics for now though. How about we leave the more serious matters until after we are all finished eating." said Dumbledore as he turned to assure Sirius that he had already told the ministry that morning about Draco Malfoy's recovery who was now whining about how long it had taken him to clean off all that sand.  
  
Hermione and Ron can over. The trio tried to pry some information out of Draco, but being the Slytherin that he was, they wouldn't have been able to get anything out of him. When pressured further, he replied that they would find out soon enough and if they didn't stop pestering him the would never find out. With that he turned to the Headmaster and asked to be pardoned from the table.  
  
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Dumbledore stood up when they had all finished. The four got up and followed the Headmaster down into the dungeons. Harry was rather lost. 'Why are we headed for the dungeons? The person had been severely hurt. Shouldn't they Madame Pompfrey be looking after them? I know if I had been hurt that badly she wouldn't let me out for weeks. Wonder how they got away from her? Oh my, what if they're dead. Would Dumbledore take us down to see a corpse? It is colder down here, maybe the body will keep better.'  
  
Harry's mind started to list through all the professors that he had seen. Dumbledore was alive of course. Professor McGonagall was fine. Who else? He had seen Professors Vector, Sprout, Flitwick, Sinistra Hagrid and Remus at lunch. He'd have to get used to calling him Professor Lupin again. Who could it have been? They hadn't seem Trewlanly, Snape or Binns, but then again Professor Binns was already dead, and that still didn't explain why they were in the dungeons. '  
  
Harry broke off from his trail of thought and looked over at his two friends. Ron looked rather grim but seemed to be just blindly following the Headmaster's footsteps. Hermione who was in deep thought, probably pondering the same questions as Harry. She would have walked into a wall if Ron wasn't holding on to her hand.  
  
As they walked deeper into the dungeons, Harry noticed that these hallways seemed familiar. They were the ones that led to the Slytherin common rooms. When they got to the common room entrance though, Dumbledore veered off to a narrower hallway on his left. Then it finally hit him, and seemly Hermione had reached the same conclusion since she let out a gasp and looked over at Harry. "Professor Snape." Voldemort must have finally caught on.  
  
Dumbledore knew that they were worried about Professor Snape's condition. Even Sirius was worried, although he would never confess to it even under Veritaserum. "Do not worry. Professor Snape is all right. We were just talking to him this morning." They looked more relieved, but he could still see that Harry was still tense. 'What did you see last night my boy?' he wondered.  
  
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The Headmaster was worried about the relationship between Severus and the trio. After they had found out about him being a spy they had gotten to know their Potions professor much better. He knew that Hermione sometimes went to Professor Snape for advice once in a while when Harry slipped into one of his depressed moods that they couldn't snap him out of. Ron coming from a old wizarding family did have its prejudices. Even though the Weasleys were not anti-Muggle, when Ron had found out that Remus was a werewolf he had avoided him like the plague. Even though they were on friendly terms now, Ron still was edgy around him when a full moon was approaching. Harry had spent even more time talking with the potions professor and had the both of them had finally found someone that they could relate to. Dumbledore was quite grateful that Harry did not feel as pressured by his responsibilities as he was before he started talking to Severus. Their chats were really good for both of them.  
  
Ron and Hermione had always been there for him, but they had had such relatively stable lives. They didn't live trying to constantly repress their fear of tomorrow and act 'normally' just so that everyone else around them could feel assured that all was right in the world.  
  
Harry hadn't been as good as Severus at 'playing the game.' He couldn't hide all his emotions. He soon realized that people were extremely judgmental of appearances. The wizarding world needed him to keep up a optimistic facade. If he let his worries slip he could instantly spark chaos. The wizarding world saw him as a hero, but what they really needed him for was the hope that he represented.  
  
Professor Snape was different though. He didn't see Harry as some shining beacon of hope. Actually the idea of Harry Potter being their savior did not bring him much hope at all. Working as a spy for Voldemort had left him playing a complicated role in life. He had seen what Voldemort was capable of doing. The Dark Lord wasn't very strong at the moment, but was certainly growing increasing stronger. He needed to teach Potter how to be stronger than Voldemort without raising suspicion in the school. With spies and young Death Eaters in the making this was a very difficult task.  
  
After Potter's fourth year, he had tried harder to prepare him. The incident at the tournament was proof that Voldemort could get to Harry. Potter had made it out alive, but they could all see that he only got out because he was lucky. Next time, and they all knew there would be a next time, and he might not be as lucky.  
  
In Harry's fifth year he had slipped into a state of depression. It was very subtle and no one really noticed. Most just figured that it was a sign of him growing up. Harry was more serious now. He was quieter, calmer and spent more time studying. He talked less to his friends.  
  
His friends were so happy that he didn't want to bring them down with his long list of worries. He knew that they kept up their constant cheerful mood in hopes of cheering him up, but it wasn't working. On the contrary it was starting to grate on his nerves. Part of him felt resentful of their happiness, and such thought just made him feel worse about himself. Couldn't he find it in his heart to be happy for his friends. Wasn't their being happy mean enough to him for him to be happy as well.  
  
They seemed so young and innocent, while he felt so tainted. They seemed so childish that it was annoying. Could they not see that the wizarding world was on the verge of war? Perhaps he had been forced to grow up too quickly, but he no longer thought they way then did. He had encountered the darkness face to face. It had red eyes and it wanted him to suffer.  
  
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Harry had never had a decent childhood. When he had lived with his parents he had been so young. The Dursleys had always been so preoccupied with Dudley to even acknowledge that Harry was a human being. For him, his first year at Hogwarts was the closest thing to a childhood. Well at least until Voldemort tried to kill him through Quirrell. Regardless of why though, he just could not bring himself to talk to his friends about all his worries.  
  
He still need his friends though. He didn't know what he would do without them, probably end up like Snape. Upon seeing this he began to realize how much they were linked. It had been a slow friendship that they had managed to build over Harry's fifth year, but it had done wonders for Harry. He had needed someone to listen to him and give him advice. Snape had already seen so many terrible things during his life that Harry did not need to fear that he would scare him by telling him about his thoughts, fears and visions, some of which he would have had a very difficult time talking to Ron and Hermione about.  
  
Harry could have always gone to see Dumbledore, but the Headmaster always seemed more concerned with giving Harry a normal school life as possible. As much as Harry appreciated this, he felt he needed to address some of his concerns. Dumbledore's advice was always too cryptic and was usually followed by an abrupt change of topics. Professor Snape on the other hand was willing to listen and to give Harry enough advice for him to figure out the rest himself.  
  
It was also easier for Harry to talk to his Potions professor since there wasn't such a large age gap. Dumbledore was ancient, but Professor Snape was actually even younger than Sirius and Remus. His parents had been very powerful wizards, and were teachers as well. After he had completed a round of tests and interviews by a number of different Headmasters, he had been allowed to start his magical education the early age of eight. His parents had decided that he would attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
He may have been younger but his magical abilities were up to par with some of the most dedicated students in his year. Professors and students alike soon learned not to underestimate the young Snape. He didn't made an effort to make friends and kept mostly to himself. He knew that being sorted into Slytherin he "could achieve greatness" which was exactly what he wanted.  
  
Severus had been raised by his Nanny. She was an old witch that spent too much time talking to her beloved cats to spare him any attention. Severus thought that she smelled odd, rather like cabbage. He felt that if he achieved greatness that finally someone other than her would notice that he was actually there but everyone seemed to be too busy. All his life he had grown up surrounded by servants but was always alone. Since he was the 'young master' there appeared to be an unwritten rule that they were only there to serve. It was nice to have someone that would seek out his company just to talk once in awhile.  
  
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It had been difficult but at the time Professor Snape was the person most likely to tell Harry what was really going on. Dumbledore was too cryptic, McGonagall was too strict for Harry to approach her, and the rest of the staff plainly didn't know as much. Hagrid had even asked Dumbledore to only tell him the bare minimum when it came to information since the trio always managed to find out what he knew.  
  
Professor Snape was someone that Harry had truly begun to respect and depend upon, not just as a source of information but someone that had made an impact on his life. This realization dawned on him as they stopped in front of a portrait of a beautiful girl with pale skin and blue ribbons laced into her long black hair.  
  
She gracefully stood up from the cozy armchair that she had been reading in and curtsied, fanning out a blue dress that matched her eyes. "Good afternoon Professor Dumbledore. I see you have brought more guests." the Headmaster smiled at the painting of one of his former students. "Yes, we are here once again to see Professor Snape. How is he?" "The last time I checked up on him, he had just woken up. He and young Master Draco are currently in the sitting room." she paused and stepped into another frame, appearing again momentarily "Please come in." the portrait swung open.  
  
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katz_nipp written : September 22, 2002 edited : January 11. 2004 


	6. Chapter Six

Unexpected Encounter : Chapter Six  
  
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.  
  
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They stepped through the opening. The portrait door swung shut after they entered. Harry looked at the girl talking to the Headmaster. She looked about seventeen, maybe a bit older of younger. He really couldn't tell. When he had first seen her he had thought that she was older. She seemed to have an aristocratic presence, but then again it could just be the dress. He would not really say that she was bubbly, but she was certainly quite vibrant while having an animate conversation with Dumbledore whilst moving to another picture. Harry wondered why Snape had picked such a painting to guard his quarters.  
  
Harry stepped through the opening and looked around Professor Snape's quarters. Even though they had had many discussions over the last year but Harry had never been here. They had usually talked at a tower overlooking the forbidden forest. Harry had found the tower last year while exploring Hogwarts.  
  
Sneaking out at night had become Harry's solution to sleepless nights, which had been quite common for Harry near the beginning of his fifth year. He went for days without getting any sleep at all. When he did manage to fall asleep the chances were that he would have one of his 'dreams.' He found that if he spent a few hours walking though the school he would end up falling fast asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. It was slightly pointless though since by then it was early morning. A few concentrated hours of deep sleep could keep him alive though, and that was what was needed of him.  
  
Dumbledore had increased the security of the school and the staff now patrolled the school on alternating shifts during the night. Harry had to be extra careful while wandering the halls. He did not have the added security of the Marauder's Map anymore after Crouch Junior had 'borrowed' it.  
  
Harry's sleepless nights were not as frequent after he had begun talking to his potions professor. Harry figured the sleeplessness was due to stress. As the pressure lessened, Harry could sleep on a normal basis again. That is if he wanted to, but he would sneak out on the nights that he knew Severus was on night patrol to 'bump' into him.  
  
_______________________  
  
It had started out as one Harry's sleepless nights. Harry looked up at the dark red canopy of his bed. He listened wistfully to the soft breathing of his roommates. He had been trying to fall asleep for hours now. The warm blankets covering over him felt heavy as if they were trapping him. He had to get out. Squirming until he was sitting up, he stuck his hand through the curtain and reached for his glasses, which were sitting on the small bedside table. Reaching under his pillow he got his wand and crawled towards the end of his bed. Taking the locks he had placed on his trunk, he flipped open the lid and dug around in the dark until his hand meet the silky material of his invisibility cloak. He placed the neatly folded cloak onto his lap.  
  
Pulling back the curtains, he looked out to see if anyone else was awake. Hearing soft breathing from each of the beds he stood up and disappeared under the cloak. He headed towards the boys washroom.  
  
_______________________  
  
He had never really paid attention to the plumbing of the school until this year. He had been taking a shower in the changing rooms after the first Quidditch game of the year. It was against Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor had won of course.  
  
The soap had slipped out of his hands and when he had reached down to get it we was eye level with the water taps. A small snake was etched into the metal. Just like the one he had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He had been finding small snakes etched into the plumbing all over the school. Not all of them lead to the Chamber of Secrets. Some lead right into classrooms, others had brought him to hidden rooms, and once while exploring he had ended up in a very small broom closet. Apparently Salazar Slytherin had been doing more than creating a secret chamber to house his basilisk.  
  
Harry had considered telling Dumbledore about the passages, but he told himself that he would after he did a bit more exploring. He figured it really would not matter since he was the only Parseltounge in the school and thus the only one that could use the tunnels anyway. The longer he put off telling the Headmaster the less he wanted to.  
  
_______________________  
  
He walked to the shower at the end of the washroom. He stepped into the shower and squatted down. The door of the shower was slightly crooked and was difficult to close so they usually avoided using it. What made it really special though, was what Harry was now looking at. On the edge of the metal drain was another carefully carved snake.  
  
"Open" he hissed. The drain widened into a sizable pipe. Harry concentrated a bit to switch back to English and sent a scouring charm down the pipe. He had learned from the first time how rusty the pipes could be.  
  
"Lumos." he said as he started to lower him self into the pipe. Just after he let go of the side and began sliding down the tunnel, he looked up and hissed "Close." The opening closed above him and he slid down the tunnel awhile before the pipe made a sharp turn and he was sucked up the pipe. The pipe rounded off at the top.  
  
"Ompf" said Harry as he passed through a wall and landed on the floor. He leaned back against the wall that he had just passed though. Most of the passages ended like this, with a one way wall. He allowed his heart to slow down a bit before venturing in the corridor he had landed in. He had used this tunnel numerous times before since it was the easiest to access from the fifth year dormitories.  
  
He started walking towards the kitchens to ask Dobby for a late night snack. As he neared a corner, he paused at the sound of soft footsteps accompanied by the voice of a certain Potions Professor. "Sapphire, will you stop following me? Go back to the dungeons. Don't even try giving me that look, you know it doesn't work. Off with you, it's too late for you to be prancing about. Need I remind you that I'm needed to patrol the school."  
  
Harry stole a peak around the corner. Snape was much closer than he had previously thought from the sound of his footsteps. 'He seems distracted maybe I can slip by unnoticed.'  
  
There was a pause in Snape's rant. Harry heard him mumble a good night. Snape's footsteps were still coming towards him. 'Damn, I was hoping that he would turn. Hmpf, and people are always telling me that I'm lucky.' Harry pressed his back against the wall, and listened to the approaching footsteps.  
  
_______________________  
  
Footsteps. Poke. Poke. Harry swatted at the hand. Someone was calling his name. Ron was poking him in the arm. 'How did Ron get down here. I was sure he was still sleeping when I left.' Harry shook himself out of the past.  
  
Harry looked around. They had walked further into Snape's chambers. He could not call it a room, but they were now in an opening with corridors leading off in several directions. Scattered around the walls were paintings of different armchairs and usually accompanied by a shelf of books. The girl in the blue dress was passing through the different paintings leading down one of the halls, and the group trailed after her.  
  
"What were you thinking about" asked Ron, who was giving him a funny look. "For awhile there I thought Draco had cursed you or something." at that comment Draco looked up from the sofa he was seated in. A small black cat jumped off his lap. "It is just like you to assume that the Death Eater's son is going to be the one inclined to curse everyone in sight. As if I'm stupid enought that I would point my wand at any of you while the Headmaster is just a few meters away. Aren't such foolhardy actions more of a Gryfindor trait anyway?"  
  
_______________________  
  
"Ah. Draco, how is Severus doing? I thought you were with him." said Dumbledore. "He was, but he went to his rooms to get something. He told me to stay here and wait."  
  
There was a small pop and Sunny appeared off to a corner of the room. "Sunny, please inform Severus that his guests have arrived." said Dumbledore. "Right away Headmaster, sir. Professor Snape is already aware of your arrival. Please be seated. He will be with you shortly, sir." with a bow he had disappeared with another pop.  
  
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thanks to reviewers of Chapter Five. KC - epp. get up. please don't grovel. Don't worry it will be Sev/Harry. hmm what in the world will I do with Draco now though. aie. o.O haha ohh well it really doesn't matter. Won't have to worry about that for a few more chapters probably.  
  
Prophetess of Hearts - Hmm. I always have a few plot ideas floating around in my head and I need time to decide which will work out best. The story has just started so I do not know if Harry will become a vampire.  
  
pencil - yeah! another interview with the vampire fan. hehe. glad you liked the story. plus I love reading reviews so I don't mind that it's long. I'm actually quite touched that you spent the time to review.  
  
Author's Note: hey by the way, for those of you that write fics please leave a signed review. Also if you want me to e-mail you to update you when a new chapter comes out put down your e-mail address.  
  
katz_nipp updated : October 10, 2002 edited : January 11, 2004 


	7. Chapter Seven

Unexpected Encounter : Chapter Seven  
  
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.  
  
Pop.  
  
Sunny appeared in Severus' doorway. "Sir. Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Lupin have arrived with Masters Black, Potter and Weasley along with Miss. Granger. They are waiting in the main sitting room." Severus was pacing across the room, a half-empty glass in his hand. He had know exactly when 'his guests' had arrived. He had developed a type of sixth sense. It seemed as though he could feel peoples' magic in the air. For each person there was a level of power that radiated away from their bodies into the space around them. 'I suppose I could refer to this as a aura.' By these waves Severus could tell how powerful the being was and approximately how far away they were from him.  
  
Dumbledore's presence, he had picked out immediately. Remus' also because he was a werewolf, but what was most unexpected was Harry. Well considering that the Harry had managaed to live numberous encounters with Voldemore maybe it shouldn't be such a shock. Remus had been down to the dungeons to tell him that Dumbledore had brought Sirius and the trio to Hogwarts. But still he had never expected Harry's aura to have such a strong pull. Well thinking about it now he supposed he should have expected this. After all they knew that Harry was very powerful, untrained but he certainly possessed a large amount of raw magical power. Also they have been training him during those extra classes so that Harry could use the most of his potential magic.  
  
Every witch or wizard has a certain amount of raw magical power in their blood. This raw magic is the same type of power that causes accidental magic in children. This blood factor is why wizards of pureblood think so highly of themselves. They were breed into society as wizards with high magical potential. Their parents not necessarily looking for a marriage based on love, but rather wealth and power. The magical ability of a wizard can be passed down from their parents. The amount of potential magic of an individual differs depending on species, bloodline, age and a series of other factors. Some wizards are just born with extremely high amounts of magic in their blood, or low amounts. Longbottom, even though he is a pureblooded wizard, is highly suspected of being under this category. Most wizards have generally the same amount of power though. There are of course exceptions to this rule in each generation, like Dumbledore and Grindlewald, and Harry and Voldemort.  
  
The magical ability that a witch or wizard has is more of a matter of how well an individual can control the potential magic that they possess. When a student is at wizarding school, they learn how to repress these powers down to a level where they can be controlled. The problem here is that in the early years, the witch or wizard's magic level is lowered and by the time they leave school, they still have not realize their full potential. Generally this was all right, but in a time of war the side with the most power wins. Harry's extra lessons were to help him gain control of his untapped magic.  
  
Severus was overwhelmed with all the information from his heightened senses. Severus quickly downed the rest of the glass. He felt a bit better. The blood took away his thirst, and that seemed to relax him a bit. But he couldn't help but feel nervous. 'What if one of them tried to be a Gryffindor hero and run a stake through his heart on an impulse? But Albus will be there. It will be okay. I feel all right. But do I feel good enough to go out there?' he questioned himself. 'If I can manage to be in the same room with both Lupin, Albus, Draco, Minerva and Sprout, I should be fine. Okay. Now what did I come in here for. Oh yes." he turned to the door and called for Sunny. "Bring that mirror out with me" the elf pointed at the mirror and it started floating behind Snape 'All right lets go.' taking a deep breath he swung open the door and strode out, the mirror and Sunny trailed out after him.  
  
Harry had been a bit apprehensive, but looking at Draco who was now back to playing with the cat, he did not see any reason to be too worried anymore and he calmed down substantially. Hermione had also joined Draco, probably in an attempt to calm her own jitters. Dumbledore had seated himself in a rather plush looking armchair. He flicked his wand at the fireplace, and the flames sprung up amongst the logs bring the temperature of the room up to a more comfortable level.  
  
Sunny popped into the room next to the headmaster. "Headmaster sir, would you like me to take that, sir?" Harry then noticed that Dumbledore was carrying what appeared to be a wine bottle. "Oh that's all right Sunny. I'll hold on to it for a bit longer. Want to present Professor Snape with the first one myself." As the house elf was about to leave Dumbledore added "The rest of the bottles are in the cellar."  
  
Severus entered the room. No one had noticed him yet. 'A lovely band of Gryffindors here to greet my return to consciousness.' "How nice of you to bring a gift. Must be an attempt to keep me from hexing Black while he is here." They all turned to look over in the direction of the voice, but Severus had moved quickly to the other side of the room. All they saw was a floating mirror. Dumbledore felt that bottle being taken out of his hands, and turned smiling at Severus. "Yes, I thought that you should get a taste to see if it's to your liking."  
  
Severus handed the bottle off to Sunny, who wrapped his long fingers around the bottle. The cork popped straight out and landed on the platter that he had balanced on his other hand. Sunny poured out a glass and held up the platter. Severus took a sip. 'Not bad, he thought. Doesn't have any detectable magical presence in it. Hmm. probably muggle then.' he thought. "It's nice to know you have such useful connections."  
  
Looking up from his glass, Severus found that he was being stared at. Remus was talking to Sapphire in a far corner, but looked his way and smiled when he had entered the room. He was being cautious just in case Severus' will power over his vampiric tendencies overtook him. Black looked rather white, from where he stood next to the headmaster. 'Hmm, so it appears that neither Albus or Remus told them exactly what has happened yet. I wonder if they can tell from my appearance what I have become. I look relatively the same, healthier really with all the poisons purged from my body. Perhaps I should smile.'  
  
"Oh, Severus is such a bad host. He doesn't get much company. You must forgive him." twittered Sapphire from a nearby painting. "As if you couldn't have told them to sit down and all that yourself, Sapphire." he retorted. Harry snapped out of his shocked state. 'So that was Sapphire' he thought to himself. 'And I was beginning to think it was the cat.'  
  
"Be a good host Severus, these are your quarters not mine. Its not my place. Don't forget your manners in front of the uncultured Gryffies, except for you Headmaster. Anyway you know I can't talk to him. He doesn't listen." she said pointedly looking at Black, who had his back towards her, for an instant before going back to blatantly ignoring him. Severus noted the disappointed look on the Headmaster face along with the looks filled with sparked curiosity in the trio's eyes.  
  
Severus felt the need to end this before one of them worked up the guts to ask what Sapphire meant. This was not what they were here to discuss though. Dumbledore had told him about Harry's vision on the same night of Lucius' unexpected visit. So he gave into Sapphire's demands and played the part of the perfect host down to the faked pleasantries. "Please sit down. No reason for you all to be standing around. There are plenty of seats. If you don't want to be too squished I can get Sunny to bring over a few armchairs from another room. Can I offer any of you something to drink." he said graciously and flashed a smile. Ron let out an yelp. Severus could have almost laughed. 'Weasley looks ready to bolt out of here right this minute. How did he ever end up in Gryffindor?'  
  
Everyone was not seated except for Severus who was still playing the part of a gracious host. Severus was definitely overplaying his role actually. Sarcasm was just too much fun. It was a bit cramped but they all insisted that it was not necessary for Sunny to bring in extra chairs. Sunny was now serving drinks. Harry had declined, but Remus had pushed a glass of something into his hand. He had not been listening so he did not even know what it was that he was now sipping at. All he knew was that it was alcoholic because it burned down his throat. The other possibility was that Remus was trying to poison him, but that was unlikely. The stuff was helping to relax his nerves though. Harry did not think that he looked that tense, but Remus was a werewolf and he could probably smell his fear. He was glad that Professor Snape was relatively alive and well was much better than the images of a barely breathing and blood-soaked professor that his mind had conjured up as they were walking down to the dungeons. But the shock of his transformation, well lets just say that it still had not sunk into his head.  
  
Ron was looking visibly shaken. For someone that hated the way some purebloods were prejudice against muggles, it was so ironic how Ron could be so affected by things like this. But he would get over this eventually. Remus and Ron got along fine now. It had been awkward at first but Ron had gotten more comfortable around their werewolf professor over time. Hermione had caught the black kitten and seemed to be placing all her attention on petting it as it tried to scramble out of her lap. But other than that she appeared to be calm on the outside.  
  
Severus noted that instead of staring everyone was now avoiding eye contact with him while trying to find a place to sit down. Well everyone except for Harry. He had been so caught up staring from his seat on the couch that he hadn't noticed that everyone had positioned themselves where Snape couldn't sit beside them. The only place left was next to Harry. 'Oh well might as well sit down' Severus thought  
  
Sliding down next to Harry, Severus motioned to Sunny to float the mirror towards him. He looked at the reflection. His mirror image was still there, but it was growing faint. It was not fuzzy, but it he was able to see through it slightly. This was most noticeable when compared with the solid image of Potter beside him.  
  
Severus reached out to touch the corner of the mirror, the image froze. Severus flipped it around so that everyone else could see. "When I first woke up a noticed that I still had a reflection. I thought this was rather strange since one of the most common ways to determine whether or not a person is a vampire is to see if they have a reflection. As the day progressed though I noticed that the image was growing more and more distorted around the edges. As you all can see now, the reflection has now faded to the point where it is partially transparent. I figure that by the time my reflection has completely faded, my transformation will be complete." Severus sat back waiting for questions.  
  
Severus took a deep breath. 'Such power, coming from one so young. He could almost taste the magic flowing around him. How old is he now? I do believe he would be sixteen, but using that time turning for those extra hours of training have probably set that off by a little less than a year. I can smell him. It would not be that hard to bite him right now. I wonder what that would feel like, to have something alive squirming against my hands. I know I have not been a vampire for very long, but I still have not made my first kill. The way everyone is treating me, I'll probably never have a first kill, because I'll be drinking out of a bottle. Why don't they just shove a pacifier into my mouth while they are at it.'  
  
"What happened that night, and why did it affect Harry as well?" asked Hermione. Severus had to hand it to her, she knew how to get straight to the problem at hand. "It must have something to do with Voldemort. Was he there when you were turned, Professor Snape?" "No the only one that was in there was Lucius Malfoy." "Lucius Malfoy's a vampire too now?" blurted out an astonished Ron. "Is Voldemort going around turning everyone into vampires?"  
  
"I don't think that Voldemort is ready to turn everyone into vampires. He certainly has some sort of plan behind having Lucius changed. Perhaps he is going to send him to recruit the vampires. Voldemort has a lot to offer, and the vampires would have much to gain if they helped him to power. Imagine an endless night and a virtually endless supply of blood following the muggle massacre. A very tempting vision for any vampire." said Severus  
  
"Yours?" questioned Black. "Haven't you wondered yet why you are even still walking? I wouldn't doubt for a second that most of the men that betray Voldemort live to tell the tale. You look even healthier than you have in years. I'm sure a man with your skills is hard to come by. You would be a useful asset to the Dark Lord. Is he trying to call you back to him?"  
  
katznipp  
  
revised : December 30, 2002  
  
edited : May 27, 2004 


End file.
